Sri Lanka will depend on athletics and swimming for medals
 

by Leslie Fernando

Sportsmen and sportswomen that gather in large numbers for the 10th edition of the South Asian Games to be held in Sri Lanka from August 18 to 27th can be assured that the facilities at the Sugathadasa Stadium and other venues will be of real international quality.

The official ceremony of the Games will be on August 18, but the soccer tournament will start two days earlier - August 16. The other events will be held from August 19.

All details are being attended to by the officials so that a truly first-class international tournament will be on the cards. A. T. Wijaya - Manager of the Sugathadasa Stadium and Lakshman de Alwis - the former star middle-distance runner, and athletic coach is sparing no pains in seeing to the facilities for all the sportsmen and sportswomen who will converge at the Stadium and other venues where the competitions will be held.

The existing Sugathadasa Stadium will be used for two prime sports athletics and football (altogether 20 disciplines will be held at the 10th SA Games). The Athletes will use the synthetic track and the soccerites will dribble on the international standard turf added Wijaya. The Grand Stand, Low Stand and tiers can accommodate nearly 35,000 spectators.

De Alwis said that Swiss-timing systems will be installed for athletics. Meanwhile the media building will be expanded for more information and media internet. The Sugathadasa Stadium is a fine feather in the sporting cap of the country.

Only Sugathadasa Stadium has the synthetic track and is available to athletes for daily training, around 200 athletes use it. Wijaya added that all facilities and equipment will be provided to the participants.

The media building which was erected just prior to the 2002 Asian Athletic Championships, will be modernised. Facilities for VIP enclosure, VIP's room, conference room, doping centre, changing rooms for athletes, soccerites will have more space with all the necessary equipment.

Alwis added that synthetic track 'Recotan' from Germany was opted and laid in 2001 in preparation for the Asian Athletic Championships held in August 2002 as it is suitable for the athletes. The Mondo track from Italy was laid in 1982 and re-laid twice.

Gravel track

Alwis said that when the Sugathadasa Stadium was first opened by late V. A. Sugathadasa on the invitation from then Mayor of Colombo M. H. Mohamed and Municipal Commissioner late B. A. Jayasinghe, there was only a gravel track.

Alwis remembered that even the athletes ran on the gravel track in Jakarta, Indonesia at the Asian Games where our own Nagalingam Ethiriveerasingham won a gold in high jump.

Alwis was highly appreciative of the work done by the manager of the Sugathadasa Stadium, Wijaya. He has lot of experience in managing it for the last 10 years, providing all facilities to hold two Grand Prix events, Asian Athletic Championships and International football matches. "Wijaya will be a great asset and I will offer my advice and support to him to achieve success in his endeavour," Alwis added.

Finally Wijaya said that opening and closing ceremonies will also be staged at the Sugathadasa Stadium and he is confident of keeping to deadlines. Speaking about other areas, Lakshman de Alwis said that Sugathadasa Stadium swimming pool will also have swiss timing system, new lane ropes, electronic timings and touch pads will be replaced.

Of the 20 disciplines, seven sporting events athletics, football, swimming, boxing, volleyball, badminton and karate will be held at the Sugathadasa Outdoor and Indoor Stadium.

Athletics, swimming main hopes

Sri Lanka's main hope winning of medals will be from two popular sports: athletics and swimming. At the last South Asian Federation Games held in Islamabad, Pakistan Sri Lanka won 15 golds, 33 silver and 57 bronze. Most of the gold medals were from athletics 8 and swimming 5.

At the August SA Games, Sri Lanka's close rivals will be India who have performed exceptionally well, becoming overall champions in all earlier 9 games.

Lanka's athletes since the last SAF Games have also had several successes at Asian Athletic Championships, Grand Prix, Commonwealth Games, Singapore and Thailand Open Championships and in International Marathon events.

"Over 125 Sri Lankan athletes are hard training under me and their respective coaches. Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Darsha, Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Chinthaka Soyza, S. Mendis, Manjula Kumara, Sujeewa Nilmini Jayasena, Anne Mahesh Silva, Mangalika Priyadarshani, Inoka Umayangani are expected to perform well according to their current performances." said De Alwis.

Alwis further said that Sri Lanka will depend on Susanthika Jayasinghe and Damayanthi Darsha, both who have fine international experience. Susanthika who has participated in two earlier SAF Games have won the 100 metres and 200 metres with comfortable ease.

She gave performances at the 1995 SAF Games held in Madras, winning the 100 metres dash with a record time of 11.34 secs and Damayanthi Darsha finished second 'clocking' 11.52 secs. Susanthika also achieved a 'double' winning the 200 metres with a time of 2.22.95 secs.

At the last SAF Games Susanthika won the 100 metres dash while Damayanthi Darsha won the 400 metres. Both athletes are vastly experienced and home advantage will stand the two Lankan athletes in a good frame of mind.

With the absence of Sugath Tilakeratne, who has won the 400 metres, one of the prime events for Sri Lanka men's athletes in the last three editions, Rohan Pradeep Kumara is expected to give a good account of himself in the 400 metres.

Manjula Kumara who is presently training in the United States is one of the athletes who could go over the bar with a record height in his pet event-high jump. He has been clearing 2.02 metres at training. The other sport, Sri Lanka could win gold medals will be from swimming.

The three swimmers presently training abroad Mayumi Raheem, (in Singapore), Andrew Abeysinghe (USA) and Steffen Daniel Lee (Australia) together with Conrad Francis, Ashen Fernando, Nilmin Arasecularatne, Milinda Wickremasinghe, Heshan Unamboowe, Miniruwani Samarakoon, Prabha Madhavi Dharmadasa are expected to offer stiff opposition to the Indian swimmers. At the last SAF Games in Pakistan, the swimmers fared prominently.